Lodewyk de Jager
The Toyota Cheetahs were dealt a big blow when it was learnt that Springbok lock Lood de Jager will be out of action for between 6 and 8 weeks with an elbow injury.
De Jager was forced off the field in the Cheetahs win over the Cell C Sharks early on in Durban on Saturday and while the good news is that there isn’t a bone fracture, the injury will mean he will miss close to 2 months of Vodacom Super Rugby action.
The injury has been tempered by the fact the Cheetahs have a bye this week, with all players being given most of the week off until they reassemble on Thursday to start preparing for next weekend’s game against the Blues in Bloemfontein.
While De Jager is a blow, the Cheetahs will welcome back Sevens Bok Ryno Benjamin, Japanese based flanker Heinrich Brüssow and Johann Sadie for the Blues game, and will be a visibly stronger unit.
Coach Naka Drotske is a happy man after the win.
“I’m extremely satisfied especially with our maul and our defence, our tactical kicking was also good. What we will have to look at, however, is our discipline. We were on attack 4 or 5 times during the game where we conceded a penalty through something stupid. We will need to rectify this.”
The Cheetahs currently top the Super Rugby South African franchise after taking 5 points from the fixture.
SuperSport